Is it easier to solve? It's exactly the same
problem, isn't it? The visual representation of the problem makes a huge
difference, though. Now it's obvious that the two green blobs are the same size
even though they exist on different scales (or different equations).
And the two blue blobs are the same. Aha, the two red ones as well.

I
have prealgebra and algebra students who ask if the A in one
equation has the same value as the A in another, whether the two
equations are part of a system or not. Imagine if those students had
been solving math puzzles like this one throughout elementary school.
Would their concept of variable be more clear?

Elementary
age students at the math center think problems like this are great fun.
They have no idea they are exploring linear functions or algebraic
relationships. All they know is that these problems make them think.
Algebraic reasoning problems give young students a chance to apply their
knowledge of basic math facts within fairly complex scenarios. Problems
like this one inspire young minds and satisfy their need for a greater
challenge. Our students are incredibly proud when they are able to solve
one of these math problems successfully.

How
would a young student solve such a problem? We ask our students to
compare any two scales and find what they have in common. Let's take the
first two scales. Students will point out that the blue blob is common
to both. Then we have them look for differences. Students notice that
the scale weights differ and the partner blobs are different. We ask
them what they think might be causing the weight on the second scale to
be greater. It's obvious to students that the bigger red blob on scale
two is causing an increase in weight.

Once
they understand the effect of changing the partner from a small green
blob on the first scale to a bigger red blob on the second, we can look
at the quantitative aspects of the problem. We then ask what is the
difference in weight between the two scales. Students will do the
computation and find the difference is 19. That's the difference between
scale one and scale two. What else does this number mean? What other
difference does it describe? Students will relate 19 to the difference
in weight of the green blob and the red blob. The red blob weighs 19
more weight units than the green blob.

We write this as:

R = G + 19

Now
we have a relationship between the red blob and the green blob. This
relationship tells us that if we replace a red blob with a green blob
plus 19 weight units the scale reading will stay the same. So let's do
it.

We head over to third scale. The equation there is:

G + R = 33

We replace the red blob. We get:

G + G + 19 = 33

What if we take 19 weight units off the scale?

What will the scale read then?

33-19 = 14

Our new equation is:

G + G = 14

At
this point, students recognize this as a doubles problem and easily
find the value of G to be 7. They then use this value to find the
weights of the other blobs.

Modeling this
problem with young students as a whole group activity is a very
powerful. They excitedly share their insights and answers. We'll do
several of these together before they work independently to solve
similar problems. Eventually we make our way toward the original
abstract problem. We replace the green blob with the letter G, then the
blue blob disappears and gives way to the letter B, and finally we part
ways with the red blob and bring out the letter R. The letters remain on
the scale however so the context is reserved. Once the students are
comfortable working with letters, we then remove the scale. Students
solve systems of three equations by the end of 5th grade. More importantly,
students learned how to think through abstract problems, a skill that
will forever be of value.

No comments:

Post a Comment

About the Author

Colleen King is a math educator with 15 years experience working with K-12 students in a variety of settings. Colleen publishes MathPlayground.com and develops math games, teaching tools, and learning resources that are used in classrooms throughout the world. She has presented her work at ISTE and NCTM conferences and has co-authored several teaching articles.